ONE WAY

The Savior

HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE

TO SALVATION?

There are many views on how to be saved and how to be certain of our eternal destiny before God. Most of them have a ring of truth.

Yet when we think a little more deeply, we find that many are in conflict with what God Himself has revealed to us in His Word.

The Bible gives us the only certain knowledge of how salvation is possible. It corrects many of our wrong ideas about being saved.

BARRIERS TO SALVATION

1. "God will save me... After all I am not so bad."

Perhaps you have heard or even thought, "God wouldn't send him to hell... He is basically a good person." Or, "I may not be perfect, but I am a lot better than she is even if she goes to church all the time."

In both cases, our standard for determining whether someone should be saved is how good they are compared to other people we know. We think that someone who is relatively good by human standards is a better candidate for heaven than someone who is not so good. But this is not what the Bible teaches.

READ ROMANS 3:10-12

What do these verses tell us about human goodness?

No one would disagree that some people

are better than others.

Yet, when God judges us,

He does so by a completely different standard.

READ ISAIAH 59:12

READ JAMES 2:10

These verses make it clear that being good

compared to other people

is insufficient to qualify one for salvation.

To be qualified for salvation through one's own effort,

one would have to be as holy as God Himself.

BARRIERS TO SALVATION

THE PHARISEE AND

THE TAX COLLECTOR

Read Luke 18:9-14

Many Jews in the time of Christ had this perspective.

Paul, before his conversion to Christ, was one of them.

Yet, after coming to faith in Christ,

his outlook changed dramatically.

READ GALATIANS 2:15-16

• Was Paul a religious person or a sinful person in the eyes of his peers?
• Is anyone justified by his religious deeds ("works of the Law")?
• How was Paul justified before God?
  

BARRIERS TO SALVATION

Many people think God will judge us with a set of scales

that compare our good deeds with our bad deeds.

But that is not the picture of the basis

of our standing before God as it is found in the Bible.

READ EPHESIANS 2:8-10

READ ROMANS 6:23

• What is grace?
• How do you receive a gift?
  

READ TITUS 3:4-5

• According to these verses, on what basis did God save us?
  
• What role did our good deeds have in salvation?
  

Based on the verses you have read, which of the following is God's formula for salvation?

1. FAITH IN JESUS + GOOD WORKS = SALVATION

2. FAITH IN JESUS + TEN COMMANDMENTS = SALVATION

3. FAITH IN JESUS + NOTHING = SALVATION

Based on the verses you have read, which of the following is God's formula for salvation?

1. FAITH IN JESUS + GOOD WORKS = SALVATION

2. FAITH IN JESUS + TEN COMMANDMENTS = SALVATION

3. FAITH IN JESUS + NOTHING = SALVATION (ANSWER)
   

SALVATION results in GOOD WORKS

How do these verses compare to the perspective that God will save us because we have done sufficient good works?

It is clear from the Bible that salvation is not the result of our good deeds. We can never be good enough to please God because He is righteous and holy, and we are not.

This realization often leads us to the next perspective concerning salvation.

BARRIERS TO SALVATION

Perhaps this is how you feel today.

This perspective is based on the very same assumption

as the perspective that

"God can only save those who are somehow good enough

to gain His favor".

But as we have seen from what we have read, is this true?

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

Read Luke 23:39-43

• What were Jesus' companions at the crucifixion like?
• Were they basically good people?
• What did Jesus promise to the criminal that asked Him for mercy?
• Did that criminal do anything to make himself worthy of salvation?

READ PSALM 103:8-13

• What promises of God can you glean from these verses?
• Have you ever placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
• Would you like to do that right now?
  

If you have not placed your faith in Jesus

and would like to do so right now,

simply pray in faith asking Him to come into your life

as your Savior and Lord.

If you have already done so,

thank God that He has saved you

and given you a new life.

APPLICATION

The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ,

that person is a new creation.

The old has gone, the new has come.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

What do you expect to change in your life n

ow that you have Jesus?

APPLICATION

• How can you cooperate with God in the changes that you expect to see happen in your new life with Christ?
• What specific steps will you do to move towards that change?
• What good work do you think God wants you to do this week to reflect your new life in Christ?